NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 16 – National carrier Kenya Airways has launched a travelers’ insurance cover in partnership with Chartis Kenya Insurance Company to facilitate smooth travel for both local and international tourists.
Chartis Managing Director Japh Olende said the insurance would provide a conglomeration of covers including loss of luggage as well as loss incurred as a result of cancellation of flights.
He also explained that the travel insurance package would provide medical cover noting that it was not like the traditional insurance covers.
“Travel Insurance will provide coverage for medical expenses up to a limit of $500,000 (Sh37.6 million). Baggage will be insured up to $10,000 (Sh752,500). Flight cancellation and related expenses will be covered to $5,000 (Sh376,250),” he explained.
KQ Commercial Director Mohan Chandra said the cover would be available for sale together with the ticket either online or over the counter.
“It provides the customer with the option to take travel insurance; we want the customer to have the choice. Sometimes flights get cancelled, bags get lost and you probably don’t want to get medical insurance but life is such that things happen so it is better to have the insurance to back you up,” said Mr Chandra.
Mr Olende added that insurance claims would not have the complication that accompanied payments, because he anticipated the bulk of the travel insurance to be medical.
“Travel insurance is quite straight forward because it will mostly be paid as hospital bills. Once you have been authorised to go to a given hospital the hospital will treat you and send the bill to the insurance providers. The only time you will have to deal with the insurance cover is when there is loss of baggage,” he said further explaining that the traveller would then be required to go back to their country of residence to make their claim.
“However if you are staying for over three months we can still make arrangements through our claim settling agents who will sort you out temporarily. They will replace some of your basic belongings and when you go back home you will be able to put in your claim for the complete cover,” he said.
Mr Olende stated that the insurance would be provided by Travel Guard a subsidiary of Chartis Kenya and that the cover would also be determined by the period of stay for the travelers in their country of destination.
“We have regional prices that cover Africa and we have international ones covering regions outside Africa. It depends on the number of days you stay at your final destination because if you take the shortest period (a week) regionally you will be charged an extra $26 dollars (Sh1,955). If you take three months you will be charged $204 dollars (Sh15,350). If you take a week internationally the minimum will be $31 (Sh2,232) while if you stay for three months you will be required to pay an extra $248 (Sh18, 661),” he said.
This is the first insurance package of its kind in Kenya.
